New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-10-12
THIRTY PEOPLE KILLED.
A RAILROAD ACCIDENT IN INDIANA.
A PASSENGER TRAIN WRECKED BY A FAST FREIGHT


tins of railroad carelessness or blunderng were
brought into the little station early this morning.
and his afternoon charred corpscs were laid upon
the platform, while three miles west, down the
track OF the Chicago and Atlantic Railway, near
lonely old water tank, piles of fearfully mangled
debris marked the spot where collision seldom
equalled for terrible results had occurred Ac-
cording to the best estimate obta nabIe for only
an estimate was possible, fully thirty human lives
had been sacrificed outright and half that number
OF persons had suffered injuries more or less
serious
The eastbound express that left Chicago last
night with great load of passengers had, with
out moments warning, during temporary stop,
been smashed into from behind by fast freight
train loaded with dressed meat for the markets Of
the seaboard. Some part of the machinery of
the passenger engine had been thrown out of order
during the run from Chicago A trihing stop
at the water tank would make it all right, it WAS
thought. and the stop was accordingly made
Suddenly out of the darkness behind came the
fash of a headlight, the rush and rattle Of many
wheels and then mighty crash The sleeping
coach was pushed merclessly forward and crushed
into the cars ahead, smashing their comparatively
iight tllnbers. The work OF destruction was COM
plete, when the wreck quickly took fire.
THE PASSENGER ENGINEERS Story
Ihis morning, surrounded by an eager group Of
questioners at the hotel in Kouts the engineer of
the passenger train told the following story of
the terrible disaster:
Wo passed No; 40 at Boone Grove on time and
station IN less than minutes behind u.s. when they
should have waited much longer. When we wero
well away nom the town, could her lights bus
Lit 10 way behind. We were not running very fast
because the engine on side" We bad
broken an eccentric strap ami were running but ono
pair OF wheels having been forced 10 dsconnect tho
other pair Of wheels which running loose. OF
course the accident held speed down little, but
we had no idea that the engineer of No. 40 would
have any difficulty In keeping or from our heels. Tho
last time looked behini there was ample room TO-
tween U.s. stopped at tho Boone Grove water tank
and were there almos minute bcoro they struck u.s.
This afternoon there was little in the aspect Of
the village to indicate the calamity that had so
recently taken place All the dead bodies bad
been carefully removed from sight only two Of
the wounded were still in the village and tho
local employees of the road were deaf and dumb
to all seekers after information. The coroner
lad been obliged to 90 to Huntington, over fifty
miles distant, TO obtain the statements of wit
nesses and the villagers seemed wholly at sea
regarding the extent of the disaster.
About the only person willing to tell the details
Of the horror was DR.. w. c.. Mckee lie had
promptly responded in the dead of ight to call
and had taken hand-car TO the scene of The
wreck three miles from his home. DR.. Mckee
had scant time to give bis experience in detail,
but stated that to the best Of his knowledge il
would lot be overstatins the facts to say that the
collision had cost the lives of fully thirty people.
1t shortly after o'clock this morning when
he reached the wreck, and he immedi itely began
to give his services 10 the wounded. Those who
were badly hurt when the crash came. he says,
bny nd n han for
quickly din tho toxic are and so thorough
was the work Of the flames.
A FAMILY ALL BUT WIPED OCT.
AS an illustration of the destruction and the
difficulty of arriving at a correct idea of its mag
ntude, the doctor said that probably not soul
would have been made aware of the all but total
wiping out of the Miller family Of six, had not
their boy been saved. Doctor Mckee stated that
only nine bodies had been recovered, and they were
80 badly charrcd as to be almost beyond recoS-
nition The nine were follows:
Miller Charles. age fifty. OF Dundee.
MILLER. Mrs. Lena. wife of above
Miller Minnie, the daughter. age seven.
MILLER Fred, age twenty, son.
MILLER, William age seventeen. other son.
PERRY William, Of North Judson Ind, Auditor OF STARK
County
PERRY Mrs wife OF above.
PLRRl Grace age eleven. the daughter
Young Irish woman. name unknown.
Another of the Miller boys is also likely to die
NO FLAGMAN WAS SENT BACK.
Superintendent Mt Parsons, OF the Chicago and AZ.
lantic was seen late IN the afternoon eloonnly
pacing the station platform. He was extremely
taclturn and sure that no more bodies could be
found under the wreck. Only nine persons had
been killed, he declared, and not more than twelve
hurt none of the latter seriously. He admitted
that no lagmnn had been sent back from the pas
senqer train when a stop made. NJ. Parsons
da1 III n IN
light fully two thousand feet III the rear OF where
the stop was made The conductor of the tram had
pull,d the cord for this light when he stepped
rrom his train. This would throw the glare
of a red danger signal on the track. Ihe night
however. was foggy and the engineer OF the fast
freight must have failed to see the sIgLal super
inteudent Parsons thought the accident would
have beeh a very ordinary one had not the stove IN
the sleeper upset That caused the destruction OF
tho sleeper two coaches and baggage-car, and in
Le main was doubtless the cause OF the loss OF lile
,,ornuer Leatherman, Mr.. Parsons SAID, reached
the scene irom Valparaiso about ll;3O Il. M, aud
of,er viewing the debris and making some lnqu-
80 had louud It necessary to 20 10 huntington IN
.eorch of witnesses. Inc wounded, Mr. Parsons
synIained had been taken there as early as posi-
he and the passengers who were unnuit, 10 tno
numhers ot twenty -nye. had been forwarded 10
their destination without delay. -,
I'm the little sitting room Of the cottage which
serves as hotel in thus town two oi the wounded
snrvivors of the accident still remained late this
afternoon. Herman Miller, Bohemian boy ON
his way from Dundee, H.. to the old country,
IS stretched on the one lounge IN the low. dark
room Ills head is fearfuly battered and his
tight LEG is fractured.
WATCHING THE FLAMES CREEP TOWARD HIM.
The other wounded man is Joseph McCool,
bartender of Boston HIS injuries are for tho
most part internal and are not SO severe that his
recovery is impossible lie was able TO tell OF
the awful occurrence follows:
was in the passenger coach which was next 70 the
, o,r IN m, train Just before midnight went into
ha smoker which Just ahead OF our car, and chaed
,r an hour and came the coach with young man
- -, 1o,n nalr mo That the last I've seen or
sct 10 see OF the poor fellow. Just mad stretched
myself out TO go sleep, and almost before closed my
sycs there was an awful crash which, God help me,
-. ~. holr cnuli teal MYselt thrown